In Memoriam: Nick Maffei

Specified Fittings/Harco Fittings lost a valuable asset to the team this year. On January 31, 2020, Nick Maffei, a long-time employee, passed away suddenly in his home.

In 1998, 21-year-old
Nick Maffei entered the one-year-old pipe fittings manufacturing plant as a
gluer, willing and eager to learn how to glue PVC pipe fittings. He learned the
craft quickly. A keen eye for detail and knack for efficient innovation, Nick
soon mastered other areas of the manufacturing process including the saws and
shipping. He became the Gluing supervisor in 2001 and communicated with the
other departments, streamlining the process as he went. Nick’s fellow gluers
called him Mano de Díos (Hand of God): a tribute to his infallible
fabricating skills. His ability to connect with the workers in the plant as
well as with others in Sales and to think outside the box helped pave the way
for Specified’s “We can do it” attitude.

Nick traveled to many
jobsites over the years, inspecting problems with fittings in the field,
explaining installation errors, and training workers how to properly glue
fittings. He developed a safer, more efficient way to glue large diameter
fittings; furthermore, Specified Fittings owes its thanks to Nick for other
breakthroughs including the PVC regrind sanded manhole adapters and product
testing and development of specialty fittings like our Spec-Loc (Bulldog Joint
Restraint System) product line.

Nick became Assistant
Plant Manager in 2013, taking on more responsibilities overseeing departments’
processes; similarly, his involvement in the plant’s switch to a Lean
Manufacturing system improved both the appearance and productivity last summer.

With his many
contributions to the business, it came as no big surprise in May 2015 when Nick
moved upstairs as the Inside Sales Manager. His knowledge, superior problem-solving
skills, and customer service orientation made him a prime candidate for the
job.

As an aside, Nick’s migratory childhood from Western Washington to Hawaii; Helsinki, Finland; Johannesburg, South Africa; and on back to stateside cultivated the skills to connect with many people of various backgrounds. He played soccer with other kids in Finland, made friends across the cultural barriers in South Africa (pre-apartheid referendum), and here at Specified, he built relationships with those in manufacturing on up to company CEOs.

Nick’s presence and
knowledge is (and will continue to be) sorely missed by all of us.